any of you guys using cardboard to block your radiators if so how much? and where you putting it at?

my wife commutes 4 miles each way to work at 40 mph and i would like it to warm up better for her in the winter, but dont want it to over heat of course.. we are in alaska and its usually 0-10F but gets around -20f for about a week or so in january, right now its been high 20s at night.

 

Fia makes one nice fit too

 

i got snaps in my grill chrome, but i was looking at cardboard infront of condensor instead seems just a fabric over the grill wouldnt do much.

 

I also have about a 4 mile drive to work, and if I don't plug the truck in at night when it gets down to the single digits, I have no heat on the way to work. I say plug it in at night, then let it run about 5 to 10 minutes in the morning before she leave for work and she should have plenty of heat.

Cardboard won't help with that short of I drive. IMO

 

ya im not even sure if the thermostas opening in 4 miles at 40 mph! hehe so blocking it might not do anything! we usually dont plug in tell 0f

 

How about a nice remote start. I can start my truck from inside the house and have it nice and toasty before I even get in it.. Another option is a 203* thermostat from Dieselsite.

 

she has top of the line remote start, runs in drive 10 minutes before she leaves on her 5 minute commute.

 

I vote to plug it in all night

 

From what I’ve experienced at those temps, a 20 min. drive at 50 mph it is just getting warm. What I do because I only have a 1.5 mile drive, I'll take an extra long loop around town to go to work and back just to get the oil warm and I also change my synthetic oil every 5000 mile because start-short run-stop action.

 

if its 10 hours or 1 hour the block heater gets it no hotter. they did a study up here in alaska and its not bennificial to be plugged in over a 2 hours.

a heated garage is the best anwser.

 

Gotcha...I am alot further south so I have no idea what you go through up there.....I just know it is cold as all get out up there

You could put a timer on it if you did not want it running all night?

 

That is the best idea so far. I really miss the heated garage I had in Montana. Nothing like getting into a 60 degree pickup in the morning when it is below zero outside.

 

Agreed, my wife has that option, my trucks too long, o well.. b-uno, I forgot, your in the far North, it helps considerably down here. I can tell you, I drive big trucks and in the past had front covers like the guys mentioned but for that short of a drive, your stuck unless the wife takes a longer ride, IMO.

 

Agree with this. I drive 22 miles to work in the morning, 1 block from my driveway to 55mph cruise the rest of the way. It only got down to 45 this morning and the EOT gauge didn't hit normal temp until I was in sight of work.

 

We don't get that cold down here most of the time, but when cold weather does arrive I plug my truck in with the block heater on a timer that comes on about 2-3 hours before I usually leave. I have it set to shut off about an hour after I normally leave so that if I don't use the truck the block heater doesn't run all day long.

I got one from a hardware store that will handle about 1200 watts or more.